Texas A&M Aggies Star Hayden Schott Speaks After Getting Swept By Missouri

Texas A&M baseball has looked like two completely different teams this season.

For one stretch, it seems like the team could beat any team, any weekend. Series victories against then-No. 1 Tennessee, then-No. 2 Arkansas and them-No. 2 LSU helped prove that the Aggies could hang with the best and deserve a spot in Omaha. During their success, the Aggies would crush home runs and pile on the points.

At the same time, A&M had stints where it looked like a little league team. Early season losses to Texas State, Arizona and Oklahoma State provided some early foreshadowing for what was to come in SEC play. The Aggies were swept by then-No. 17 Alabama and Vanderbilt before they were able to find their stride.

Texas A&M Aggies designated hitter Hayden Schott (5) celebrates as he scores a run against the Kentucky Wildcats during the sixth inning at Charles Schwab Field Omaha. | Dylan Widger-Imagn Images

The Fightin’ Farmers’ recent success came to an abrupt end when Missouri, who came into the matchup 0-24 in conference play, traveled to Aggieland and swept A&M.

After the game, graduate designated hitter Hayden Schott spoke on the state of the team.

”Whenever you’re here, you feel like you’re part of something bigger,” Schott said. “When you feel that you try to give your heart and soul every minute.”

At A&M, the fans and players have a different relationship than at most schools. The 12th Man plays a pivotal role in the outcomes of games with its unified yells and timeless traditions. While Schott said the team feels like it let the 12th Man down, it is not the most painful disappointment.

”Obviously you feel like you failed fans but when you feel like you’ve failed people, whether it’s other players, the staff, no one will ever be able to understand what that feels like,” Schott said. “I really truly believe like 99.9% of humans won't understand what that feels like other than players who care deeply for each other and we have a lot of those guys.”

For many A&M players, Sunday’s loss was the last time they would play at Olsen Field. It also marked another weekend closer to the end of some players’ careers.

“There’s a lot of people, including myself, who are not going to be able to wear a baseball uniform after the season,” Schott said. “It’s trying to play for those guys and just enjoy being around each other and whatever happens, happens. That’s why we’re trying to soak in today.”

The Aggies will look to rebound when they travel to face the No. 10 Georgia Bulldogs. Without a series win, it is likely that their season would end.

“I know that there’s a good core group of guys that hope doesn’t fade until someone tells us we’re done,” Schott said. “So now it’s, you know, try to soak in what this place meant to us and move on.”